Manitoba Museum to honour Free Press

Some of the Free Press staff in the press room at the plant on Mountain Avenue. (Mikaela MacKenzie)

The Manitoba Museum will honour the Winnipeg Free Press for 146 years of contributions to life in the province at its 2019 Tribute Gala.

The annual award recognizes the leadership and philanthropy of individuals and organizations that have shaped the province and the city of Winnipeg.

“The Winnipeg Free Press has been an integral part the community, representing the hopes, dreams and ambitions of its readers. It is a leading source of local news, information and debate and shares Manitoba’s voice on national and international issues,” the museum said in statement announcing the award.

Established in 1872, the Free Press is the oldest newspaper in Western Canada.

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The Manitoba Museum will honour the Winnipeg Free Press for 146 years of contributions to life in the province at its 2019 Tribute Gala.

The annual award recognizes the leadership and philanthropy of individuals and organizations that have shaped the province and the city of Winnipeg.

"The Winnipeg Free Press has been an integral part the community, representing the hopes, dreams and ambitions of its readers. It is a leading source of local news, information and debate and shares Manitoba’s voice on national and international issues," the museum said in statement announcing the award.

Established in 1872, the Free Press is the oldest newspaper in Western Canada.

"Everyone at the paper is really pleased the Free Press is being recognized by the Manitoba Museum for the paper’s contributions to the community," publisher Bob Cox said Thursday.

"We strive every day to tell the stories of Winnipeg and Manitoba, and it is fantastic to be recognized by such an important keeper of stories about our history."

The museum has had a lasting relationship with the Free Press, through editorial coverage, advertising and unique events such as the Treaty 1 anniversary celebration with the Treaty Commission of Manitoba, Manitoba Business Council and Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre.

"We are proud to celebrate the newspaper that has been around as long as our community, recording it’s growth and development and commenting on issues that affect Manitoba and the world," said James Cohen, chairman of the Manitoba Museum’s board of governors, in the statement.

The Free Press is the largest independently owned newspaper Canada, and the largest-selling newspaper in Manitoba.

It recently won the best use of mobile category at the INMA Global Media Awards, and frequently receives nominations from the National Newspaper Awards, the Canadian Journalism Foundation, and the News Photographers Association of Canada.

It also supports hundreds of organizations with special coverage and advertising grants that promote causes, events and accomplishments in Manitoba.

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The gala will be held April 4, at the museum. The paper will be represented by its owners, business leaders Ronald Stern and Robert Silver.

"I am proud of the Winnipeg Free Press and our involvement with it over the past 17 years," Stern said in the statement. "We are committed to preserving the newspaper’s strong traditions of journalistic excellence and community service."

Silver drew on the paper’s storied history Thursday.

"This is an honour shared by everyone who has been associated with the Winnipeg Free Press, from William Luxton and John Kenny, who started the paper in a rented shack on Main Street, to the current staff who work hard every day to build on that tradition," Silver said in a statement.

Past award winners include Sandy Riley, the Winnipeg Foundation, the Chipman family, Babs and Gail Asper, and George T. Richardson.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca

Alexandra PaulReporter

Alexandra is a veteran news reporter who has covered stories for the Winnipeg Free Press since 1987. She held the medical beat for nearly 17 years, and today specializes in coverage of Indigenous-related issues. She is among the most versatile journalists on the paper’s staff.

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